Date: 02/05/1997 03:49 pm (Wednesday)
From: Robert Sheppard
To: X:[log in to unmask]
Subject: The Mainstream
As Ken Edwards noted, my remarks on the mainstream were carefully
constructed with regard to the mainstream as it operates as ideal in the
context of British poetry. I thought I had outlined that quite clearly. I'm
sorry to sound nationalistic, but I though this discussion base was
designed to be about British and I rish poets. Nobody I hope wopuld
doubt that I keep my ear finely tuned to US poetries and poetics, but
nobody should doubt also that as a poet (obvioulsl;y) and as a critic, my
mission has been to analyse and promote that British work.
Which probably brings me to Keith Tuma's remarks about the academy
which I am still pondering, and might tackle in installments.
Final remark on the British mainstream, it's not empiricism that is the
enemy, but its rhetorical packaging: voice, metre, rhyme (sometimes),
AND it's severe limitations upon the investigation of BOTH language AND
world.
Cheers.
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